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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bulb — for light
  3. land — a country
  4. clip — for paper
  5. charge — a price
  6. perch — the fish
  7. land — ground
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. charge — in control
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. clip — to cut
  22. land — to come down
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com